ennui
05-02-04, 10:26 PM
what are your thoughts on these.. I have seen them on alot of low end bikes . I dont know if they are good. should they be avoided .. they look like they would crowd your grip
Mountain Biking - handgrip shifters or what ever they are called
Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.View Full Version : handgrip shifters or what ever they are called
khuon
05-02-04, 10:29 PM
what are your thoughts on these.. I have seen them on alot of low end bikes . I dont know if they are good. should they be avoided .. they look like they would crowd your grip
They're generically known as twist-shifters. SRAM is a producer of the most popular models. Campagnolo used to produce one back in the early 1990s called the Bullet Shifter. These are not strictly low-end shifters. SRAM for instance markets them on their highest level group. The old Campy Record-OR (offroad) group was also a high-end grouppo. While I personally don't like them, I don't think they take up anymore handlebar real-estate than say Rapid-Fire Plus shifters.
They're generically known as twist-shifters. SRAM is a producer of the most popular models. Campagnolo used to produce one back in the early 1990s called the Bullet Shifter. These are not strictly low-end shifters. SRAM for instance markets them on their highest level group. The old Campy Record-OR (offroad) group was also a high-end grouppo. While I personally don't like them, I don't think they take up anymore handlebar real-estate than say Rapid-Fire Plus shifters.
JasBike
05-03-04, 12:59 AM
I wouldn't trust them on fast singletrack when things get bumpy -- your derailers will be twitching back and forth if you try to use the inner part of the grip area.
midwestmntnbkr
05-03-04, 04:56 AM
It's personal preference I think. I don't like them, but I have always ridden with rapid fire, so that is what I am used to. I rode a friends bike that had them and found that I was changing gears every time I went to pull up on the bars to go over anything. I have been told you get used to that and can overcome the habit of twisting. I never gave it a chance. I prefer to stick with my rapid fires.
dirtbikedude
05-03-04, 07:23 AM
I used to swear that I would never use them. Well last season I put a grip shift on my DH bike for the race season. Now all my bikes have 'em. You can shift through all 9 gears faster then rapidfire and it feels much crisper. Also the grip is not as sensitive as most people would think.
Also, unlike the Rapid-Fire where a good crash can take out one of the shift levers, the twist-grip may get cracked but will still work( First hand expieriance;) ).
Since you are new to all this, which ever you learn with you will probably like.
:beer:
Also, unlike the Rapid-Fire where a good crash can take out one of the shift levers, the twist-grip may get cracked but will still work( First hand expieriance;) ).
Since you are new to all this, which ever you learn with you will probably like.
:beer:
trekkie820
05-03-04, 07:31 AM
I've heard that you can destroy a derailleur if you are climbing in classic climbing form(hunched over, pulling on the bars) and you accidentally twist back on the shifter...but I guess it's preference.
a2psyklnut
05-03-04, 07:34 AM
There are pros and cons with either system. I've got a set of each on each of my bikes. My preference? Probably the triggers, but you do get used to grip shifters.
Actually I think beginners prefer grip shifters, you don't have to learn as much, it's a more "natural" thing.
My decision is usually based on what's new or on sale!
L8R
Actually I think beginners prefer grip shifters, you don't have to learn as much, it's a more "natural" thing.
My decision is usually based on what's new or on sale!
L8R
khuon
05-03-04, 01:00 PM
I've never had twist-shifters on my MTB... I had a BMX-style bike when I was growing up with a three-speed "throttle" shifter. And when STIs first came out and were too expensive for a mere impovershed college student such as myself back then, I decided one option was to place GripShifts at the end of the drops on my roadbike. They worked great... cleaner installation and operation than bar-cons I thought and felt better than downtube shifters. I even learned to shift using my elbows. :)
willtsmith_nwi
05-03-04, 02:15 PM
My old Giant had Grip Shifts. I was always pretty happy with them. Only rarely did I accidently shift.
My new Giant (Yukon) has Rapid Fire shifters. I've noticed a few advantages to the Rapid Fires. One is that you can't shift AND break with grip shifts. So it's it's difficult to jump to larger gears when your in between hills. Second is that the Grip Shifts force you to change the angle that you hold the handlebar.
If I had another set of grip shifts, I would immediately switch the break cables so the left handle controled the rear wheel. That hand is almost always free for braking. Hitting the front brake too hard leads to flying over the handlebars (which I did do when beginning).
The big benefit with the grip shifts is the single motion that will shift multiple gears. But you do have to reset your grip after that shift if you'd like to break. The 3 click thumb swing on rapid fires is actually a quicker motion.
I won't be going back to Grip Shifts. I really wouldn't pay to switch one for the other. My old bike will keep it's grip shifts for recreational road use. I will stick with Rapid Fire for trail use, thats what advanced bikes come with anyway.
My new Giant (Yukon) has Rapid Fire shifters. I've noticed a few advantages to the Rapid Fires. One is that you can't shift AND break with grip shifts. So it's it's difficult to jump to larger gears when your in between hills. Second is that the Grip Shifts force you to change the angle that you hold the handlebar.
If I had another set of grip shifts, I would immediately switch the break cables so the left handle controled the rear wheel. That hand is almost always free for braking. Hitting the front brake too hard leads to flying over the handlebars (which I did do when beginning).
The big benefit with the grip shifts is the single motion that will shift multiple gears. But you do have to reset your grip after that shift if you'd like to break. The 3 click thumb swing on rapid fires is actually a quicker motion.
I won't be going back to Grip Shifts. I really wouldn't pay to switch one for the other. My old bike will keep it's grip shifts for recreational road use. I will stick with Rapid Fire for trail use, thats what advanced bikes come with anyway.